05. 27. 2011

Disney develops sensory devices for films and games

Some movies may seem scary enough, but how much more intense would the fear be if you suddenly felt something brush past you?

Enhancing the intensity of films and games is something Disney researchers have been working on recently and they've created something that's been dubbed a "tactile brush" in order to bring your senses into play more than ever before.

The tactile brush creates what Gizmodo describes as a "sensory illusion", which makes a user's skin feel what's happening in the game, such as crawling insects or rain running down your back, the feeling of being in a swerving car or even someone's hand being slowly placed on your shoulder.

The illusion works by using a series of complex coils that are placed inside the back of a chair, which are then programmed to vibrate. There are many different ways that the senses are brought into play, but one interesting feeling is described as a phantom tactile sensation, which makes two separate vibrations on a person's skin feel like one stronger sensation between the two.

This isn't the first time we've read about different kinds of technology engaging more of our senses and creating a richer experience, such as the touchscreen from Tokyo's University of Electro-Communications which allows users to feel textures. Since 3D technologies that make us feel more like we're in games and movies are old news, it's no surprise that the next step in improving our game playing and movie watching experiences is to actually feel them.

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